Thursday, October 22, 2009

After a bad week of picking games last week (Giants over Saints, what was I thinking?), here are my picks for Week 7 of the NFL season. Remember, all picks are made strictly based on who I think will win and do not take the spread into consideration.

Record Last Week: 7-7, .500Overall Record: 64-26, .711

Byes: Broncos, Jaguars, Lions, Ravens, Seahawks, Titans

Sunday Day Games:

Packers (3-2) @ Browns (1-5) The Browns made it clear to anyone who was listening that Brady Quinn wasn't going to be made available at the trade deadline. Um, why is that again? If Quinn isn't better than journeyman Derek Anderson right now, what possible future does he have in the NFL? Then again, no team is going to trade for Quinn, anyway, so it doesn't matter if the Browns made him available or not. Look out for the Packers in the coming weeks, the offense is clicking and the defense is only going to get better. My pick: Packers

Chargers (2-3) @ Chiefs (1-5) I really thought the Chargers were going to stop messing around and make the AFC West a race by beating the Broncos last week. Unfortunately, the defense in San Diego just isn't what it used to be and that means they are going to have to put together another late season run if they want to get into the playoffs. As for this game, Philip Rivers has been playing well the last few weeks so they should be able to put up enough points to hold off the Chiefs. My pick: Chargers

Niners (3-2) @ Texans (3-3) I have a feeling that the fast start by the Niners might have more to do with how weak the NFC West is rather than how much they have improved. With Mike Singletary a few bad plays away from going off the deep end, the Niners seem poised to collapse back towards an 8-8 season. The Texans aren't much better, but their offense is scary good, and not just in fantasy football. My pick: Texans

Colts (5-0) @ Rams (0-6) This game looks to be almost as lopsided as the Eagles/Raiders game should have been last week, but don't count on the Colts crapping the bed in this one. When you have a professional quarterback like Peyton Manning and a team with a bunch of proven winners, you don't let the bad teams beat you. To be fair, the Rams are even worse than the Raiders, not that the Eagles should be let off the hook. The fact that newly acquired Brandon Gibson should be suiting up and playing right away tells you all you need to know about the Rams. My pick: Colts

Vikings (6-0) @ Steelers (4-2) The Vikings have to be due, right? The Brett Favre magic has to run out eventually, right? The defending champion Steelers will step up and put Minnesota in their place, right? Right?? My pick: Steelers

Patriots (4-2) @ Bucs (0-6) It looks like the 2007 Patriots are back in business. I mean, how obnoxious is it to be up by 35 points and still be throwing the ball all over the field? Do you really need Tom Brady, who already has looked fragile this year, dropping back to throw the ball in the snow over and over again in a blowout game? Just like in 2007, that karma is going to catch up to you eventually, Patriots. Not in this game, though. Have fun with the blowout, London fans! My pick: Patriots

Bills (2-4) @ Panthers (2-3) It's really a choice of the lesser of two evils in this game, but I have to believe that the Panthers will heed the call of their best player, Steve Smith, and get him the damn ball. We all know that Carolina is primarily a running team but when Smith is not being used at all, something is wrong with your offense. As for the Bills, I can't in good conscience pick a team with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. My pick: Panthers

Jets (3-3) @ Raiders (2-4) This seems familiar, a team wearing green and white that is a sure bet to beat the Raiders? How can they possibly lose? The Jets won't pull an "Eagle" this week, however, because they actually run the ball and have linebackers that can cover people in the secondary. Enjoy your win, Raiders fans, you know your team is still awful and has no future with JaMarcus Russell. Yeah, I guess I'm still bitter. My pick: Jets

Bears (3-2) @ Bengals (4-2) This is one of the tougher games to predict. The Bengals seemed poised to crack into the upper echelon of AFC teams until they fell flat on their face against the Texans. The Bears, too, could have made a statement with a win last week against Atlanta, but they fell short. While we're on the Bears, I'm a little skeptical as to why they extended Jay Cutler's contract this last week. Really, Chicago, what you've seen from Cutler in the first 5 games is enough to extend him through 2013? I know he's the franchise QB but couldn't that have waited until he wasn't averaging more than one interception a game? My pick: Bengals

Falcons (4-1) @ Cowboys (3-2) I didn't think the Falcons could sneak up on the league again this season but it seems like they have come from nowhere to be a really good team again. They did a great job improving their team in the offseason, getting better on both sides of the ball. As for the Cowboys, they are going the opposite direction. Despite their record, they just aren't any good; wins over the Panthers, Chiefs and Bucs don't mean a thing. Their decline continues this week. My pick: Falcons

Saints (5-0) @ Dolphins (2-3) All signs point to this game being a possible trap for the Saints. On the road and out of the dome, a week after knocking off the Giants, against a Dolphins team that can control the clock, things appear to be set up for an upset. Still, much like the Colts did against the Dolphins a few weeks back, the Saints will make the most of whatever time of possession they can get. I don't see the Dolphins defense slowing down Drew Brees and Co. My pick: Saints

Sunday Night Game:

Cardinals (3-2) @ Giants (5-1) Is it a requirement that we have a Manning in a primetime game every week? You have to like the Giants chances to bounce back after their tough loss to the Saints, I see them running all over the Cardinals in this one. My pick: Giants

Monday Night Game:

Eagles (3-2) @ Redskins (2-4) After last week's debacle, it's never safe to assume the Eagles can just show up and beat a bad team. Still, if they got all of that awful football out of their system, you have to think the Eagles will roll over the Redskins. Washington is such a mess right now, with a quarterback controversy between two mediocre QB's and a coach who isn't allowed to call the plays anymore. If the offensive line can block for Donovan McNabb at all in this one, the Birds should roll. If they come out and crap themselves like they did in Oakland last week, all bets are off. My pick: Eagles

Those are my picks for Week 7 of the NFL Season. Check back every Thursday during the season for the latest predictions. Feel free to discuss, argue or make your own picks in the comment section!